At least this week’s newsletter article will not start with the repetitive comments of the last two (or three). Saturday night found me psyched, hyped, excited and ready to cheer the Reds on to the World Championship. A few hours later, on Sunday morning, found me in a state of depression. Not only had we lost what should have been a significant win, but Arse-nil did us no favours in the League, meaning that we are still a fair distance behind the boys from the Bridge. Really, really, really, depressing. But then my mind was taken back to a time when I was in the Boy Scouts and our local Cub Scout troop was playing in the final of the regional cup. The thrill for the youngsters was to play on a full size pitch in front of a grandstand and terraces, with hundreds of spectators - mostly parents and members of the various local Scout troops. The venue was a non-league semi-professional club’s ground in the West Midlands. For those who may not be aware, this type of ground is actually at a level as high or possibly higher than anything we have in Canada. As a comparison, take a look at former Spurs, Newcastle, and England International Paul Gascoigne, who recently spent a few weeks as Manager at Kettering Town – a comparable club in a different division. It may be non-league football, but it’s by no means small time. These are the “Cinderella” clubs that produce a few shocks in the early rounds of the FA Cup. This was a once in a lifetime experience for these kids. The glory of winning a cup at a ground like this and parading it around a packed stadium would be a memory to treasure, and something to be truly proud of.

As the game wore on, our lads boldly played their hearts out but were not quite as good as the opposition and looked more and more like losing. The troop master (Akela to those in the know) yelled encouragement from the sidelines, but it was as if the field was steeply sloped against them. At the final whistle, the winners jumped in celebration and ran around excitedly. Our lads slowly walked off the pitch with lowered heads and slumped shoulders. The scale of the match, along with the prestige of playing in this stadium, only heightened the sense of failure at the end. One or two were so upset that they were bawling their eyes out in spite of being told how well they had played. One was in such a state that he collapsed on the edge of the centre circle and wouldn’t get up. His agonised wailing could be heard from the touchline. A friend of mine, who was with me to assist our lads with their kit and the half-time oranges, was moved to say: “I know exactly how he feels. Nobody should have to lose a final; it’s just too hard to take.” Meanwhile, one of the troop leaders had picked the lad up and was walking him over to the rest of us at the touchline. Akela put his arm around his shoulders, ruffled his hair and said, “Never mind son, it’s only a game.” At the time it seemed like such a pathetic comment to hear from the coach when this was such an important match and was all the more disappointing for the loss. But, of course it was said with the wisdom of an elder who had been through so many disappointing times that this really was “only a game” and there’s always another one to come after this.

Of all the things that I learned in my time in the Cubs and Scouts, this has to be one of the best lessons, even if it was unintentional. As Reds, we all know how many times we’ve been to a final and lost; I don’t need to remind you of any of them, do I? All of the build up and the expectation beforehand, followed by the crash of disappointment afterwards. It’s so depressing that I sometimes think that you may as well lose in the first round as lose in the final if you have nothing to show for all of your efforts at the end. At those times that we fall short, it always helps if I say it myself: “It’s only a game.”

This most recent disappointment is not the worst by any means, but it could be a long time before we get another chance (of course I hope to see us competing for it again next year and every year, but let’s be realistic). One consolation is that it is probably better to have lost this match than to lose one in the League. I would go a little further and say it’s better to lose this one than to lose one against Benfica in February. We can also take some consolation in knowing that it has to have been a financial success for the club to be there in the competition itself, as well as picking up lots of new LFC supporters with the associated revenues from shirt and souvenir sales. A lot of talk has also centred around how this has been a valuable team bonding experience and a welcome break from the Premier League. What we do know is that we set a new club record for consecutive clean sheets, and did so on a world stage in front of millions of viewers. Last week I claimed that that was enough to say the trip was a success, prior to whatever may happen in the final. I still say that overall it was a successful trip, and would not write it off as just a cash grab for FIFA or the Japanese promoters.

As for the match itself, I have to say that I didn’t see it so I can’t really make any insightful comments on it. The reports seem to say that we played them off the park and hammered them 0-1. Three disallowed goals for us, one penalty appeal turned down, and a vicious red card worthy tackle on Gerrard that went unpunished. We could talk about how the linesman got it wrong, the referee was an idiot and on and on. I would say forget it. We may have lost due to poor officiating but that in itself is part of the game that we have to live with. It happens; harping on about the goal/no-goal is for the likes of Germany circa 1966 and Josie Moron-io. For us it’s over; we can’t change anything so let it go and let’s get on with the next match.

As 2005 comes to an end, it’s usual to look back and see what we have accomplished and what may lie in store for next year. January gave us our first major disappointment with the FA Cup third round match, going down to defeat against the much inferior Burnley. The January transfer window brought in only one player (Morientes) who was cup-tied for the Champions League, and injured through a good deal of the Premier League. A month later, just when we were starting to look like we were turning things around, we lost in the final of the League Cup, which we should have won. Two big disappointments in two consecutive months, but at least we still had something to cheer about. We were making progress in the Champions League, easily beating Bayer Leverkusen to move on to the quarter finals. Our disappointing losses seemed to lift the team and become more consistent in the League, giving us a good enough run to finish fifth, just a few points behind Everton. We were thus guaranteed at least a UEFA cup spot, with a big final, and a big trophy, yet to come. At the end of May, how many of us were still upset about those results in January and February?

As we look forward to 2006, we can look at our current season so far as a similar mixture of successes and disappointments. Our first trophy of the season came in August with the UEFA Super Cup. But we lost in the first round of the League Cup to a much inferior Crystal Palace. A month later we had put together an amazing run of form and then lost a cup final that we should have won. Two big disappointments in a little more than two months. On the basis of these similarities, I have to be optimistic for the remainder of the season.

We have a busy few days ahead of us to close out the year with 4 matches over 8 days. The transfer window opens in a just over a week’s time, with lots of speculation already over who we’ll get from where. We still have three trophies to chase before the season ends, and with the incredible run of form that we have been showing for the last couple of months, who knows what we may achieve?

I hope to see you all on the 28th for the match against our neighbours, being shown down at Library Square Public House. Until then, Merry Christmas to all, Yule Never Walk Alone.

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